Martina Sablikova wins speedskating 3000 meters; Havard Bokko crashes out at Euros

Sablikova wins speedskating 3000m at Euros

HAMAR, Norway — Martina Sablikova won the 3,000 meters ahead of Dutch rival Ireen Wust to take the lead midway through the European all-round speedskating championship on Saturday.

In the men’s championship, Havard Bokko of Norway crashed in the opening 500 meters, putting Dutchman Sven Kramer in a prime position to win a record fourth straight title.

After Sablikova finished seventh in the opening 500, the long-distance specialist skated a solid 3,000 in 4 minutes 3.09 seconds, creating a gap of 5.31 seconds over Wust to move into the lead.

Reigning world champion Sablikova totaled 80.965 points, with Wust trailing at 81.170. Sablikova is a favorite to take double gold at the Vancouver Olympics in the 3,000 and 5,000 next month.

Another Czech, Karolina Erbanova, won the opening 500 in 39.54, with Wust clocking 39.77 and Sablikova 40.45.

Kramer was in fourth place after the 500, with his three favored races still coming in the two-day championship. With a time of 36.60, he even kept an edge of .04 seconds over main rival Enrico Fabris of Italy.

Bokko had a lightning start in the 500 at the Viking Ship stadium, but slid into the protective covers during the final bend. He held his arm to steady his left shoulder when he got up. He was undergoing further tests to see how serious the injury was. He has already had two operations on that shoulder.

“I just slipped in the corner,” he said, insisting the injury would not keep him out of the Olympics. “I’ll be there — to skate.”

Kramer, a long-distance expert and triple world champion, used his giant strides to finish close behind Konrad Niedzwiedzki of Poland, who clocked 36.07, and Italy’s Matteo Anesi and Sweden’s Daniel Friberg.

Kramer is favored to take the lead in the competition after the 5,000 later Saturday. He holds the world record in the event and is unbeaten over the past two years. The tournament ends with Sunday’s 1,500 and 10,000 meters.

Kramer is using the European championships as a last warmup for the Vancouver Olympics, where he is favored to win gold in the 5,000, 10,000 and team pursuit.

The 23-year-old Dutchman could become the first skater to win the European championships four times in a row.